Demographics and Malthusian Theory Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering demographic terminology, population policies, dependency concepts, and theories of population growth from Malthus, Boserup, and Ehrlich.

Baby bust

A period of sharp decline in birth rates following a demographic boom.

Baby echo

A secondary surge in births occurring when a large cohort born during a previous baby boom reaches childbearing age.

China's One Child Policy

A restrictive anti-natalist policy introduced in China to curb rapid population growth by limiting couples to one child.

Sex ratio

The numerical proportion of males to females in a population.

Gender imbalance

An unequal proportion of males to females within a population, often caused by sex-selective policies or cultural preferences.

Infanticide

The practice of intentionally causing the death of an infant, associated historically with extreme demographic preferences or population pressures.

Dependency ratio

A measure comparing the portion of dependents (children and elderly) to the working-age population.

Dependent population

The segment of a population—typically under age 15 and over age 64—that relies on economically active workers for financial and social support.

Youth dependency ratio

The ratio of young dependents (under 15 years old) relative to the working-age population.

Elderly dependency ratio

The ratio of elderly dependents (aged 65 and older) relative to the working-age population.

Working age cohort

The group within a population considered economically active and eligible to work, typically between ages 15 and 64.

Thomas Malthus

An English scholar who postulated that human population growth would outpace food production, leading to inevitable crisis.

Malthusian Theory

The theory stating that human population increases exponentially while food production grows arithmetically, causing overpopulation and resource failure.

Arithmetic growth

Linear growth that increases by a constant addition over regular time intervals (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4), which Malthus applied to food supply.

Exponential growth

Geometric growth that compounds by a constant multiplier over time (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8), which Malthus applied to human population growth.

Positive checks

Factors that raise the death rate and reduce population size when resources are exceeded, such as famine, disease, and war.

Preventative checks

Voluntary actions taken by individuals to suppress birth rates, such as moral restraint and delaying marriage.

Neo-Malthusian

A modern theorist who expands Malthus' ideas to warn that population growth threatens total natural resources, energy, and environmental stability, not just food supply.

Anti-Malthusian

A theorist who rejects Malthusian predictions, asserting that human innovation, policy changes, and technological advances resolve resource constraints.

Cornucopian

A optimist perspective asserting that human ingenuity and technological development will continuously create or find new resources to support population growth.

Esther Boserup

An economist who argued an Anti-Malthusian view that high population density stimulates agricultural innovation and food production growth.

Paul Ehrlich

Author of the 1968 book 'The Population Bomb', who argued that overpopulation would lead to mass starvation, widespread disease, and social collapse.

The Population Bomb

A 1968 bestseller by Paul Ehrlich warning of overpopulation perils including mass starvation, societal upheaval, and environmental deterioration.

Population pyramid

A graphical display showing the distribution of various age cohorts and genders in a population.

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

A condition in which population size remains stable because crude birth rate plus immigration equals crude death rate plus emigration.

Demographic momentum

The continued growth of a population even after fertility declines to replacement level, due to a large percentage of people entering childbearing age.

Pro-natalist policies

Expansive government policies designed to promote birth rates and stimulate population growth.

Anti-natalist policies

Restrictive government policies designed to lower birth rates and slow down population growth.

Replacement level fertility

The total fertility rate at which women have just enough children to replace themselves and their partner without net migration.

Baby boom

A sudden and significant increase in the birth rate of a population over a specific timeframe.